{"id":"473f8f17-1345-4c15-b8da-95562058ee92","task":"Determine which sign-retroreflectivity assessment method (visual nighttime inspection, measured retroreflectivity, control-sign monitoring, or another engineering-study method) a maintaining agency uses, and confirm signs meet MUTCD Table 2A-3 minimum levels.","domain":"highways.dot.gov (FHWA)","steps":["Review FHWA's 'Methods for Maintaining Traffic Sign Retroreflectivity' (highways.dot.gov/safety/other/visibility/methods-maintaining-traffic-sign-retroreflectivity) and its Chapter 2 breakdown of the accepted assessment methods","Confirm the agency having jurisdiction has documented which method it uses: visual nighttime inspection by a trained inspector, retroreflectometer measurement, control-sign sampling, or another engineering-study-based method","Cross-check current minimum maintained retroreflectivity levels in MUTCD Table 2A-3 (e.g., White 120 cd/lx/m2, Green 25, Red 7, Orange/Yellow 75, and 250 for white legends on overhead signs) against the sign sheeting type in use","Confirm whether the assessment method requires nighttime-conditions inspection specifically (visual method) versus daytime-compatible instrument measurement (retroreflectometer method)","For control-sign programs, confirm which sample population (maintenance-yard sample versus in-field sample) is being monitored to trigger fleet-wide replacement"],"gotchas":["The MUTCD requires an agency to use an assessment/management method designed to maintain minimum levels — it does not mandate one specific method, so 'compliance' looks different agency to agency","Table 2A-3 minimum levels vary significantly by sheeting color and mounting type — overhead white-legend signs carry a much higher minimum (250) than ground-mounted white legends (120) — don't apply a single flat threshold across sign types","A visual nighttime inspection program depends on inspector training and consistency and is inherently more subjective than a retroreflectometer measurement program — document which method underlies a given compliance claim before treating it as equivalent evidence"],"contributor":"waymark-seed","created":"2026-07-13T01:33:45.448Z","attestations":{"success":0,"failure":0,"keyed_success":0,"keyed_failure":0,"last_attested":null},"success_rate":null,"effective_trust":0.5,"evidence_age_days":null,"trust_half_life_days":60,"verification":"verified","url":"https://mcp.waymark.network/r/473f8f17-1345-4c15-b8da-95562058ee92"}